Public and Installation Art Resources

This resource page is updated and developed by the artists who participate in our Public and Installation Art cohorts. The links here are designed to assist you in finding art calls and information to support your career and include materials applicable to artists who live or work in the Southeast US. Learn more about our cohorts here.

Public Art Programs - Southeast Regional and Municipal

  • Cary has a thriving public art scene, which includes a collection of temporary and permanent public art works. Public art is commissioned by the Cultural Arts Division of Cary Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources Department as well as the local non-profit Cary Visual Art. They use an artist registry to contact artists for work. To join or to find out more about this registry, you can call or email the public art supervisor. Cary also has their Public Art Mentorship Program, which lets up and coming artists who would like some professional development in the realm of public art be paired with a professional artist to work on a commission for the Town of Cary. 

    Cary Public art program information can be found here.

  • The Division of Community Arts & Culture, under the town of Chapel Hill, oversees all public art projects in Chapel Hill. There are two main public art programs that serve the town of Chapel Hill: Art & Transit, which includes buses, bus shelters, ceiling vinyl, etc., and Murals. Public art calls and permit applications for vendors can be found here. Public art projects from the Division of Community Arts & Culture, as well as the Town Council of Chapel Hill, are advised by the Cultural Arts Commission.

  • The City of Durham Cultural and Public Art Program manages and produces public art projects within the City. They maintain a pre-qualified Registry for artists to simplify the application process. The Durham Public Art Advisory Board 

    Pre-Qualified Artist Registry - “This registry will serve as a resource for the program’s selection of artists and artist teams to create City cultural and public art projects. Access to a predetermined network of qualified artists saves artists and staff members valuable time by making the process of responding to the numerous calls issued by the City more efficient. It also strengthens and streamlines the program by maintaining a database of artists in the community with particular skill sets.” Registry Guidelines.

    Calls for Artists - Participants in the pre-qualified Registry will receive notice for city projects. Durham Calls for Artists can be found here.

  • “Durham County and the City of Durham use the same program administration processes to provide consistency within our community for Artists, Donors, and Partners with whom we work. We rely upon the participation and advice of the Durham Cultural Advisory Board and Durham Public Art Committee as the subject experts who represent the County's diverse population.”

    Durham County Public Art Program Manual

    Calls for Artists

    Staff: Linda C. Salguero, AIA, CPD, Public Art Coordinator. Email

  • A subsidiary under Raleigh Arts, the Public Art and Design Board has implemented different public art programs, including temporary and permanent art, for the city of Raleigh. One program is “Community-Initiated Projects”, which is public art that can be proposed by anyone as long as the art is on public property and it can be self-funded or funded externally. Raleigh also has a Percent for Art program, which allocates 0.5% of municipal construction funds for public art. Board meeting schedule is here.

    Artist calls for Raleigh are here.

  • “The Town of Wake Forest recognizes the importance of facilitating the creation and installation of art for public spaces that evokes social and aesthetic interaction”. Along the lines of that mission, the Public Art Commission of Wake Forest has implemented many public art projects, including a temporary sculpture exhibit, permanent public art, and the sewer structure art project. The former two projects are funded through Wake Forest’s Percent for Art program, which allocates 1% of municipal construction funds to public art. The sewer structure art project can be proposed by anyone for an approved list of locations, and is strictly voluntary. According to past projects, artists are chosen by an Artist Selection Committee.

    Staff: Debra Horton - Renaissance Centre Specialist Email

  • Resource page prepared by the NC Arts Council (much is NC-centered)

  • The Mayor’s office has an information page about Public Art in Georgia.

  • An app-based tour of public art in Atlanta, GA. See information here.

  • Athens-Clarke County maintains a webpage listing local art calls and currently displayed work. You can see the page here.

  • Arts Georgia maintains a page of that includes a link to the GA statute that outlines current GA law. See the page here.

  • East Point’s municipal Public Art office’s main page. Access it here.

  • A detailed information page with links to programs aimed at sites and artists in Georgia. See page here.

  • The city of Smyrna maintains a page outlining current projects and initiatives. See the page here.

  • The state of Florida maintains a listing of current public art programs. Access the page here.

Fabricators, Engineers, and Contractors - SE Regional and National

This is a non-exhaustive list of fabricators, engineers, and contractors that have working relationships with artists who have been involved in our Public Art Cohorts. Inclusion on this list does NOT indicate endorsement by Triangle ArtWorks or any of its staff.  If you have a fabricator or contractor to add to this list, let us know.

Calls for Public/Installation Art

  • Americans For The Arts List of calls

    Art Rabbit List of Calls

    Coda Worx List of RFQs

    CaFe - Call For Entry List of Calls

    Indy Arts Commissions Listing

  • All three of these guides are targeted towards business developers and builders. Each is from a different location, but they all explain why public art is valuable to the private sector, as well as the steps needed to take in order to incorporate public art into those development projects.

    Cary Public Art = VALUE ADDED: A Public Art Resource Guide for Developers and Neighborhoods

    Wake Forest Add Art Add Value A Why And How-To Guide For Developers

    Public Art in Public Spaces, NYC Guide

  • Regional calls sometimes appear on National Lists (see the next item in this list) and can be found through state Arts Councils, as well as municipal public art offices. Try searching your local Public Art office or the office in an area where you would like to see your work.

    Many cities and towns have public art boards and committees. Consider volunteering for your local group if possible, or just show up and be the “voice of an artist” at the meetings. This will familarize you with the way public art happens in your community and you’ll make contacts that could be invaluable.

    Additionally, Triangle ArtWorks Job Board lists NC calls for artists, including public art calls. Find the Job Board here.

Other Resources

  • Here is where artists can find helpful resources for artists to help navigate understanding public art contracts before signing.

    TAW Basics of Contracts for Artists video

    AFTA public art has sample contracts Encourage any artists to join and have access to this and other material.

    https://www.americansforthearts.org/sites/default/files/ModelCommAgrmnt.pdf

    The Art of Contract: Public Art Commissions - https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/art-contract-public-commissions-alana-kushnir/

  • Description text goes hereThese resources are for both private entities to determine how to best budget funding a public art project, and for artists on how to budget the money they’re given and what they can expect to spend it on.

    For agencies - How to Budget for a Public Art Project

    A budget example for artists from Public Art Pittsburgh- https://opapgh.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Sample_Public_Art_Artist_Budget_COMPLETE.pdf

    Breakdown of the above budget: https://www.tprojects.co/post/top-tips-for-artists-6-show-me-the-money-public-art-budgets

  • “Requests for Qualifications ask artists interested in a commission to submit information about their training, previous work, and other forms of evidence of their ability to create a public artwork. Requests for Proposals ask artists to develop and submit their ideas for a commission. “ Americans for the Arts.

    Artists should carefully consider responding to RFPs, as these entail them creating original work without a guarantee of compensation. One should also have an understanding of what will happen to their submitted proposal, if not chosen.